So HiBar app is now live on both iOS and Android platforms. It took a bit of time to get there, especially for Android, where the closed testing for 14 days is required to pass the store review.
While finding enough people to test your app and waiting for 2 weeks can seem like a struggle, the insights you can get so early can pay off for this time period. In my case, I got direction to build a few more features.
The nature of closed testing forces you to talk to people. In 2026, when I submitted my app for store review, I had to get 12 users who would install and run the app on their Android phones.
So I had to reach out to different users, from professional software developers to dedicated calisthenics athletes.
Most of the feedback I received was about various technical features. For example, I received feedback on the Sign-In and Spots screens. As a result, I’ve implemented OAuth for faster registration and plan to do more user research on how people add new Spots.
Another part of the feedback was about use cases I never thought of before. For some users, it was more natural to get the workout plan upfront from a coach and save it so they could use it later.
As a result, I’m now implementing the Plans feature, which took a lot of UX and dev work. This update will be available in version 1.2.0.
So, closed testing can be a great opportunity to start talking to your first users. It gets you reaching out to different people, which helps you understand how various groups might use your app—or why they won’t. Don’t skip this opportunity to make your app better!”
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